Here is where, if you were on the fence about Bungo Stray Dogs S1, you’ll be rewarded for your watching efforts.
BSD S2 is a fun, exciting, and wacky action romp, with enough dark moments to keep to an edgy aesthetic and occasionally question the nature of humanity. The art, animation, and score all get an upgrade this season, while the amazing work by both seiyuu and dub actors remains at a high level. While the mysteries of this so-called mystery series remain relatively lackluster, the overall plot becomes more complex and exciting, with a three-way gang war and more. At the same time, if you grew to like the episodic and character-driven nature of the first season, there are still hints of that there; characters grow more complex as they’re thrown into more situations, and Atsushi really starts coming out of his angsty wet-blanket cocoon. Perhaps best of all, the off-color nature of the core characters is much reduced in this season: Dazai’s wacky suicide obsessions are hardly emphasized, and Tanizaki’s incest implications barely appear.
That said, there’s a reason why I don’t rate BSD S2 9/10. With its hands firmly in angst, comedy, mystery, thriller, supernatural action, and light philosophy, BSD is overly ambitious at best, and as with the first season, it inevitably stumbles in the pacing department. There is marked improvement from the first season here; the plot starts moving in episode 5 rather than most of the way through episode 8. Unlike the first season, though, BSD S2 spends its first episodes on an extended flashback arc with an almost entirely new cast of characters. Dazai is the only familiar face during this period, and he seems like an entirely different person because this takes place far enough in the past to warrant major character development. If you actually grew to like the characters from S1 as I did, this flashback arc is a little disappointing and hard to get into. At the same time, it is necessary to the plot overall and sheds much-needed light on Dazai’s backstory, so it does have its payoffs. I just wish it wasn’t the way the season began.
The pacing also suffers due to the ambitious mixing of genres; episodes bounce between mostly comedic one-offs and sudden forays into edgy content. As I alluded to previously, the mystery-themed parts of the story fall flat in my opinion, and function better as character deconstructions rather than actual mysteries. As with the first season, there are also some issues with repetition, though they’re much better here. We are still frequently reminded that Atsushi got kicked out of his orphanage, Kyouka killed 35 people, and Akutagawa just cannot get over his Dazai-complex. But overall, BSD S2 still has strong execution, especially given how ambitious it is.
I should also note that BSD S2 is especially enjoyable for English-speakers. The second season features a lot of American authors, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain, H. P. Lovecraft, John Steinbeck, and more. For people who studied these authors in school, it’s especially hilarious to see them thrown into what is essentially a sprawling supernatural fanfiction. It’s also hilarious to say things like “Edogawa Ranpo had a battle against Edgar Allan Poe,” particularly if you’re familiar with both Japanese and American authors. But there’s still a lot of humor to be had if you’re familiar with just one of the parties.
As of writing this, with BSD S4 incomplete, I’d say that BSD S2 is the best that the anime side of the franchise has to offer. It has its flaws, but it’s still incredibly fun, and I can only be saddened if you can’t find anything to enjoy in this second season.
